Artist: Caesars
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Hanzan speaks the truth. Not just with his overall assessment of the new Caesars album "Strawberry weed", but also his assertion that the title track is a summer hit waiting to happen. Lead single "Boo boo goo goo" is a fine tune and it's growing on me more and more every day, but it does not compete with this at all. "Strawberry weed" is pure laid-back bliss. A perfect second single, really. And as far as I'm concerned, summer cannot come soon enough! Give me sunshine and sweet, sweet music!
Caesars - Strawberry weed
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Tiger Lou - The loyal
02. TALK 1
03. Karin Ström - Silent night
04. Saft - I do not smoke
05. Caesars - Strawberry weed
06. TALK 2
07. Meshuggah - Bleed
08. Pacific! - Number one
09. Pascal - Längtar efter dig
10. TALK 3
11. Logh - An alliance of hearts
12. Benea Reach - New waters
13. Astrid Swan - Sea/e life
14. TALK 4
15. Lykke Li - I'm good, I'm gone
16. The High Hats - Bitterswede
17. Lis Er Stille - Lorelei
18. TALK 5
19. The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
20. Cosmic Overdose - En av dom
21. The Second Band - The piano machine
22. TALK 6
23. De Stijl - Date times
24. Death Breath - Death breath
25. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
26. Randy - Freedom song
27. TALK 7
28. Jonas Knutsson & Horn Please! - Snygg Olles polska
29. Moonbabies - Forever changes everything now
30. Kristofer Åström - Conjure me
31. TALK 8
32. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Wedding
33. Anna Leong - Guillotine
34. Convoj - RAMJAC
35. TALK 9
36. Tsukimono - Gloomy Sunday
The video for the new Caesars single "Boo boo goo goo" is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD3WatP_4UE
Between the weakness of previous record "Paper tigers" and the total media saturation of "Jerk it out", it's easy to forget just how good those old Caesars Palace/Caesars albums really are. Any good will I had left was sapped out. So with a promising new double-album on the way (the half-dozen or so tracks from "Strawberry weed" that I've heard so far are all surprisingly strong), I figure it's time to pay 'em a visit and hopefully rekindle what we once had. It's actually quite easy as their distinctive garage-pop sound, when done right, goes down effortlessly. Yes, even the ubiquitous "Jerk it out" remains a great song even after a million-and-a-half listens. But I'll be damned if I post that one as they've got stacks of other songs in their back-catalogue with just as much hit potential. "From the bughouse" off of 2000's "Cherry kicks" has it all: the trademark vintage organ tones, a revved-up tempo, an irresistible chorus. I'd have a hard time trusting anyone who says they don't like this.
Caesars Palace - From the bughouse
Håkan Hellström's new Jocke Åhlund-produced (Caesars, Teddybears Sthlm) album is confirmed for release on March 26. It was also announced that Håkan will play Way Out West in August, an occurrence his publicist compares to "Oasis performing in Manchester."
The new Caesars double-album "Strawberry weed" will be released on March 5. Look for the new single "Boo boo goo goo" soon. In semi-related news, look for a new 7" from Caesars/Peter Bjorn and John sideproject Smile on Dolores. Hear samples of that one here: http://www.myspace.com/cleangloves
The video for the new Caesars single "No tomorrow" is up on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVxYknKzE_I
It was directed by Andreas Nilsson (The Knife, José González, etc.) so you know it's worth watching.
6
After 15 years in the game, Infinite Mass released their first compilation. It's a massive affair, with one disc dedicated to the hits and one to rarer out-of-print cuts. Arranged next to each other, the jumps between electro-g-funky "Mah boyz" and Caesars-sounding "No. 1 swartskalle" can be jarring, but it shows both the musical growth and will to experiment that has been Infinite Mass' guiding star. With surprising instrumentation/samples, a sometimes lethal beat and key focus on having a good time, it may not be the most thought provoking or challenging music, but the condensed highlights can still throw a pretty decent party. The second disc falters quite often, but still contains gems like a blaxploitationish take on Kiss "Black diamond" or the twisting, stuttering "Hello", which pushes hip-hop's endless fascination with "Scarface" so far over the top that I doubt it ever will be outdone.
- Hanzan
The new Caesars single "No tomorrow" will be out on July 20.
Tigerbombs might come off like a Finnish carbon-copy of Caesars/Caesars Palace, but they sure one-upped those dudes by enlisting Klas Åhlund's ex-wife Paola to help out on their new record "Thing that go boom". Otherwise, the sound is more or less the same: revved-up organ-driven garage rock with a definite retro/lo-fi vibe. It's fun stuff, perfect for the onset of summer. Original? Naah, but neither were Caesars either.
Tigerbombs - Shaking the tree
In other Dolores news, Jocke and Nino from Caesars have a new band with Frans from Fireside called Big Bird and they will be releasing their debut EP on the label in March. As for Caesars, they are working on a new record with Björn Olsson for release this fall.
Heed my battle cry: "Four more years! Four more years!" Yes, It's a trap! turns four tomorrow, thus making me somewhat of an elder statesman on the music blog scene. As I touched on last Friday, I've come a long way from my humble beginnings of sporadic updates and limited content to daily mp3s and news posts. One band that always got me excited back in those early days was The Soundtrack of Our Lives. It often seems like only the most mediocre acts become successful American imports, TSOOL was definitely an exception. They won over crowds not just with great music on record, but also by touring repeatedly and putting on an amazing show every time. The crowd was on the light side the first time they came through SF, but grew substantially on every return trip, a tribute to their effectiveness. Not only that, but they also brought over some great opening acts too: Caesars and Silverbullit. Not that many people cared besides me and a few expats, but I certainly appreciate the effort. Anyhow, one of my favorite TSOOL songs has always been "Nevermore" from 2001's "Behind the music". I just love that riff so much and the solo break is killer, especially when done live. So how about a new record guys?
The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Nevermore
Avi described this band as "like the Caesars, only Finnish" and frankly I'm having a hard time coming up with a better snappy summary of this duo's second full length release. Like their aforenamed Swedish brethren, Tigerbombs (not to be confused with British band Tigerbomb) play short catchy pop songs influenced by 60s garage rock, heavy on the organs. They describe the record as more like adolescence than adulthood, and it does brim with teenage punk energy (think Buzzcocks or Undertones). It's an innocuous enough record - fun, catchy, energetic -- but ultimately the songs do a better job of suggesting the pop classics they could be than they do of achieving that perfection. Still, it's a nice release, and I wouldn't be surprised if they sharpened up their song writing and put out a brilliant fourth or fifth record one of these days.
- Nancy Baym
No doubt you've probably heard the Teddybears single "Cobrastyle" by now. It's exactly the kind of ubiquitous pop hit that ends up on infinite repeat and follows you everywhere you go. Kinda like the Caesars' "Jerk it out" was a few years back, and oh man did they ever play that one to death. It's fitting that both songs are from the same mind, Mr. Jocke Åhlund. Another parallel: both bands' US debuts are not actual albums, but collections of various tracks. Not quite what I'd call 'greatest hits', but along those same lines. It's no surprise then that both suffer the same problem that often plagues such collections - the tracklist has no flow. However, let's be fair: Teddybears' US debut "Soft machine" is probably not intended to be the sort of record you sit down to listen to from beginning to end. It's tailormade for DJ sets and mixtapes. All of the tracks are great individually, but they don't form a cohesive package when thrown together. It's party music. It won't change your life, but it'll get the dancefloor moving. Ain't nothing wrong that as long as you know what you're getting into. Instead of posting something from "Soft machine" I'm going back to 2004's "Fresh". I can see why "Hey boy" was left off the US release - it's just a bit too similar to "Cobrastyle" with its wordless refrains and bouncy beat. That doesn't make it bad, just redundant. Nevermind that both tracks appear on "Fresh". If the rest of the album followed the same formula, I'd be bummed, but when there's two tracks that are both this hot, you'd be hard-pressed to find fault.
Teddybears - Hey boy (ft. Swingfly)
I suppose I should probably give the metal postings a rest and hook y'all up with some good-time summer fun music. I loved Tigerbombs' debut album "Loves you" was an unexpected surprise when it showed up in my mailbox back in 2004, so I was very excited to hear their follow-up record "Crazy kids never learn" when it was released earlier this year. It actually first came out in their native Finland way back in February (followed by Japan and GAS in May), but I think it's most fitting that I didn't receive a copy until now. Their sunny, organ-driven garagepop is perfect for this time of year. If you were let down by the last Caesars album like I was, this will hit the spot. Someone needs to fill that niche and Tigerbombs are a perfect fit.
Extra credit: check out the band's recently updated tour diary from their recent trip to Germany: http://tigerbombs.com/diary/2006%20germany%20tour%201.htm
Tigerbombs - All time wasted